PARTNERS in a North Craven guesthouse were received as guests of honour in a French Mediterranean resort twinned with Settle.

Kate Howard and Ian Owen, owners of Shepherds Cottage B&B in Chapel-le-Dale, took a week in May to travel around South West France, visiting the le Tarn region and the coastal area around the Eastern Pyrenees.

Aware the seaside town of Banyuls-sur-Mer was twinned with nearby Settle, they decided to write to the Mayor, Monsieur Jean Michel Sole, to introduce themselves and arrange to meet with him and hand over a few gifts from the Dales.

Ian explained he was intrigued to discover why two completely different towns had ever become twinned in the first place.

He said: “The two places couldn’t be more different – Banyuls is a beautiful bay resort on the Med, six or seven miles away from Spain, surrounded by lush terraces of vineyards and enjoying 300 or more days of uninterrupted sunshine – and, as much as we obviously love Settle and the Dales, we were struggling to find any obvious connection.”

Upon arriving in Banyuls, they made their way to the Hotel de Ville (the town hall) on the promenade. A lady, who introduced herself as the mayor’s representative, gave them a souvenir mug, a DVD of the history of Banyuls and a bottle of red wine from one of the local vineyards.

In exchange, Kate and Ian handed her a box of Settle fudge and two mugs with cartoon sheep on them.

They were ushered into the mayor’s office, where there hung a tapestry celebrating the links between the two towns.

The mayor’s assistant then telephoned a local GP, Docteur Pierre Francis, the Banyuls president of the Settle/Banyuls Twinning Association.

The handset was handed to Kate, who speaks some French, and Docteur Francis explained to her that, in anticipation of their visit, a local restaurant had been booked for eight that evening and all seven members of the twinning association would be there.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed and slightly embarrassed, Kate insisted neither of them had come in any official capacity and they did not think such hospitality was necessary.

Despite this, Docteur Francis was insistent they both attend the meal – at Le Fanal, a Michelin-starred restaurant, overlooking the marina.

Kate said: “Pierre told me it was very important we discuss issues relating to Banyuls and Settle.”

Both attended the five-course meal, kindly provided by the Banyuls association, and despite Ian’s lack of spoken French, had a delightful time with the association members, who had a good working knowledge of Settle and the Dales.

They expressed some sadness that since the twinning links were established in 1992, a number of Settle association members had died or become too old to continue with administration of the group, and that the Banyuls representatives were keen to re-kindle the relationship with some new, younger people from the Settle area.

Ian and Kate left Banyuls feeling excited about the twinning arrangement.

Ian said: “We discussed a number of opportunities for the future – a reciprocal food and drink fair, showcasing the produce and beverages from each town; walking group exchanges, to enjoy some of the spectacular hiking to be had around that part of the French coastline – they even have a cave network in the nearby Pyrenees, similar to that around Ingleton.”

If anyone in or around Settle would like to get involved in reforming a Settle/Banyuls twinning association, contact Ian and Kate at Shepherds Cottage via e-mail at info@shepherdscottage.co.uk or call 015242 42377.